“My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.”
Psalm 31:15
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. We can be encouraged by the life, faithfulness, and love for God’s Presence that Patrick held.
St. Patrick was not actually Irish. Rather, he was kidnapped by pirates at 16 years old and was taken to Ireland as a slave for six years. During that period of his life, he said that God’s Presence became very real to him. It was in the midst of slavery that Patrick began an intimate walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. He would commit his entire day to prayer, even in the slave work and captivity that he was experiencing. Together, we will pray his most famous prayer at the end of this devotional.
One night, God came to him in a dream and said, “Your way of escape is here.” Patrick walked over 200 miles that night to a ship on the shore where he was able to escape slavery and return to Great Britain. Back in his homeland he pressed into God’s Word and committed himself to live wholly for the Lord.
God visited him in another dream where he heard the cries of the Irish people imploring him to come set them free. Patrick knew that to return to Ireland could mean death. However, as Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
Patrick went back to Ireland and preached the Kingdom of God, taught the Word of God, and healed the sick. There was a great revival that broke out in the land! 300 churches were planted, over 120,000 people were baptized, and many more were saved! Historians say that through Patrick the Lord took Ireland from a heathen nation to a Christian nation. There was an incredible hunger and thirst for God’s Word that many of the people saved, who were at that time illiterate, would memorize all of Psalm 119 and other lengthy portions of Scripture.
Today is a reminder that God can and will use anyone. He is sovereign and He is looking for a people who are obedient to His call. If you are in a seemingly impossible situation, God is faithful to deliver you. His heart has been, and will always be, to use the miracles He performs in your life to set others free as well. We can rest in the assurance that God will work all things together for our good because He is good!
Here are a few questions to reflect on after today's devotion:
In what area of your life do you need God to tell you “Your way of escape is here”?
What dreams has God given you about “setting captives free”?
How can you press into prayer not as a daily task, but a lifestyle?
Will you commit yourself today to the preaching of the Kingdom, the teaching of His Word, and the healing of the sick?
A Prayer of St. Patrick
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen.
